


cinematic

by strlighted



Series: flash / a loona av club au [1]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - AV Club, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, btw a lot of the ships tagged dont come until later, but dont worry im not baiting u they will be there, i wont hurt any of them okay, lots of drama but i promise everyone ends happy, relationships r cute and all but my fav parts to write are the BONDS, the family like bond is the best part of this btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-04-01 11:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13997679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strlighted/pseuds/strlighted
Summary: it's obvious to anyone with any common sense whatsoever that jeon heejin and kim hyunjin belong together - everyone except jeon heejin, anyways.set in high school; loona ot12 run the AV club - heejin's still reeling from her breakup with who she /thought/ was her soulmate, hyunjin's getting tired of waiting, haseul needs a nap, everyone's gay and most importantly everything has a funny way of working itself out in the end.





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> my first loona fic ever hhhhhh ..... im super nervous abt this but i hope all the characterization is okay!!! as a film club nerd myself av club!loona is a dream and this is the most self-indulgent au ive ever written but i hope someone else enjoys reading this as much as ive enjoyed writing it aaaa!!!!

"Aaaand... action!"

Upon hearing Haseul's confident command as her eyes scanned the clipboard, followed by the thumbs up shown to her by Yerim who was standing behind Camera 2, Heejin knew this was her cue to start reading from the teleprompter.

"Good morning everyone! I'm sure everyone's been dreading this day for the last two weeks but I hope your Winter break was both relaxing and filled with holiday cheer!"

After reading her first line, Heejin maintained her bright amicable smile as best as she could as she averted her eyes to her blonde co-host who she certainly didn't feel like smiling at, at the moment.

But Jungeun was quick to reading the first announcement clearly and confidently, like always. It was as if she wasn't even phased by being in Heejin's presence for the first time in a week. Of course, Heejin wasn't about to let up on her poker face either, but Jungeun's steely confidence was really getting under her skin.

After reading the next few announcements back and forth, Heejin introduced the first video and as soon as she got the nod of confirmation from Haseul, who was wearing a headset and listening for Chaewon's cue that the video was playing, Heejin relaxed her facial muscles and let her facade of easygoing cheeriness fade for a few seconds. She made eye contact with Yerim, who gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed "You're doing great Heejinnie!"

Really, Heejin was just trying to keep her eyes everywhere but on Jungeun. She let them wander again, over to the soundbooth where she knew Hyunjin and Vivi had to be but the new (useless) curtains blocked the way.  _I miss being able to see Hyunjin during shows_ , Heejin thought to herself, still bitter their teacher rep had decided it was more  _professional_  to only communicate with the sound booth through headsets.  _What if it's just comforting for me to see my friend while I'm doing a show?_ Heejin wished she could scream at Ms. Jang and her weird rules and policies she always implemented even if she never so much as watched the broadcasts.

Finally, after what felt like far too long to have been just 57 seconds, the video was ending and Haseul was counting down to when Heejin and Jungeun would be back on air. 

Jungeun introduced the next video, and then it was back to awkward silence in the studio. 

_I shouldn't have agreed to doing a show on the first day back_ , Heejin thought to herself begrudgingly. Of course, they'd all agreed on doing a show back before the break had began - before everything fell apart. But this was so awkward, it was never this silent in the studio during videos. Usually she'd talk to Jungeun, or just listen. Usually Yerim and Jiwoo would be babbling about God knows what behind their cameras while Hyejoo, the new camera girl, just watched in amazement because of how quickly the two girls could speak when excited. 

Things were different now. 

Their usual happy place, the AV club, was awkward and uncomfortable and didn't feel like home anymore.

Heejin hated this.

After another few videos, the episode was finally over and Heejin could cry she was so relieved it was over. Of course, she still had the rest of the day to get through now, but like the rest of the club she had first period spare (so they could always do morning announcements) and now she could have some time to herself before second period started. She wasn't sure she was ready to face the world just yet so she took her time collecting her things from the studio.

Getting up from behind the anchor's desk without saying anything to Jungeun felt wrong. Usually, after a show, she'd kiss Jungeun on the cheek and tell her how good she did. Or Jungeun would hold her hand and tell her what a great show it was. Yerim and Jiwoo would yell "Ewwww" in fake disgust, and Yeojin would walk in from the hall and Haseul would cover her eyes as if our displays of affection were somehow unknown to her. Sooyoung, who wrote the scripts, and Jinsoul, who controlled the teleprompter, would laugh about any mistakes we'd made. Hyunjin, who controlled the video switcher, would come in from the sound booth whining about some tiny mistake she'd made that nobody would even notice and Heejin would reassure her that she was being dramatic and she'd probably done a great job as always. Vivi would come in from the sound booth too, and talk quietly to Haseul about nothing Heejin could ever quite hear - because the eldest girl spoke so softly and because Heejin was usually distracted by Jungeun. Chaewon, who controlled the computer, lately would always talk to Hyejoo after the shows because Hyejoo was the newest club member and she always looked at least a bit uncomfortable. Before Hyejoo, Chaewon had been the new girl so she knew all about how that felt.

This was all so painfully routine, so familiar to Heejin that she didn't realize how much she loved the chaos of it all until the first show after winter break ended with silence, with everyone packing up their things quietly and not saying a word to one another.

Jungeun didn't love Heejin anymore.

That had changed everything. 

 

* * *

 

Heejin didn't know exactly where she'd planned to go for the rest of her spare period, but she somehow found herself crying in a bathroom stall which definitely had not been the plan.

She didn't feel like she could talk to any of her friends right now, they'd all look at her with pity and that was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted them to wave at her in the hallways and text her about all the homework they didn't do and walk with her to the library or cafeteria after a show was done but none of that seemed to matter to them anymore. She lost Jungeun, and now it felt like she was losing everyone else too.

Another sob shook her body as she leaned against a wall of the stall to steady herself.

She heard a group of freshman walk into the bathroom, talking loudly amongst themselves. 

"I can't believe they still anchor together!"

"I know right, they looked so dead inside though"

"Well duh they just broke up, they clearly did not want to be there"

"I honestly can't believe they just broke up like that, I thought for sure they'd get married or something"

"Right? I heard it was Jungeun who totally dumped her too, imagine that!"

"No way! Jungeun was a total nobody before Jeon Heejin started talking to her, isn't she like, grateful?

"Eh, Heejin was always clearly more in love. Jungeun never looked at her with the same heart eyes you know?"

Heejin had heard more than enough. She wanted to scream and throw a tantrum and maybe punch one or all of these freshman in the face. "SHE DID SO LOVE ME" she wanted to yell and shout from the rooftops or something. Jungeun had loved her. It had never been one-sided. Heejin knew that. She knew it shouldn't matter what these stupid freshman thought, they'd never know how it felt when Jungeun would wake Heejin up by kissing her neck or how red Jungeun's cheeks would get when Heejin would pull her behind a closed door at a party so they could make out without being gawked at. They'd never know that Jungeun was super clingy and needy when she was drunk. They'd never know the rush of sneaking into your own house at 5am because you'd spent the night at Jungeun's and your parents would kill you if they went to wake you up at 6 and you were nowhere to be found - but it was worth the risk to feel Jungeun's heart beating alongside your own as you fell asleep with her arms around you. They'd never get that, they'd never know just how much Jungeun had loved Heejin and just how great it had felt to be loved by her.

Heejin covered her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket so they wouldn't hear her sob.


	2. ii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone wants a simple overview of each member's grade and role in the club, i made a lil [chart](https://cinematic.carrd.co)!!! since their ages aren't totally the same as irl and theres just a lot of them this is a simple way to keep track of little details that'll help your understanding of the plot!

Heejin wasn't the only AV Club member who was less than ecstatic about returning to school.

"Please, just fucking leave me alone", Jungeun snapped bitterly as she tried her hardest to ignore the freshman swarming around her like leeches.

Their eyes followed her every move, like obnoxious paparazzi. It took every ounce of self-control Jungeun possessed not to shove them out of her way. 

 _I'm a human being, my life isn't some shitty k-drama you have the right to get invested in,_ Jungeun thought as she finally escaped the crowds bombarding her with questions she didn't want to answer and made her way upstairs. 

Her next class was in a portable, but Jungeun made her way to the fourth floor of the school where she would be most likely to find somewhere quiet to be alone. 

When she reached the top of the staircase, she walked into the closest open computer lab and collapsed into a desk in the back of the room, exhausted. 

Jungeun couldn't stop thinking about Heejin's cold, uncaring face as she left the broadcasting studio. Heejin hadn't even made eye contact with Jungeun once. She'd deliberately looked past her during parts of the announcements where they were meant to be having a conversation, and Heejin hadn't spoken one word during video breaks. She'd seemed so perfectly unshaken by Jungeun's presence. 

Had Jungeun never meant anything to her at all?

Jungeun shook her head,  _no._ Heejin may be a good actress but there were some things that couldn't be faked. Jungeun knew this. Jungeun knew Heejin. Jungeun knew there was no way Heejin could be as composed as she looked on the surface. Heejin was hurting too, but somehow that made things so much worse.

The last thing Jungeun had wanted was to hurt Heejin.

Jungeun realized her leg was shaking violently, and pulled her bag into her lap to steady it. She glanced around the lab now, belatedly realizing she wasn't quite as alone as she'd hoped. There were six other students in the room, including two girls a grade below Jungeun sitting in a corner whispering, glancing at Jungeun every so often.

 _Of course_ , Jungeun thought to herself bitterly.

Before, being an anchor had been her favourite part of every week. It was her  _thing_ , it was her and Heejin's  _thing._ They anchored together, they showed off their bond and happiness to the entire school in how comfortable they were with each other. Despite not being seniors, everyone knew Jungeun and Heejin. Heejin had always been popular because she was in every musical and play the school put on, and Jungeun had a lot of friends from different places. Together, they'd had everything.

Jungeun knew in her heart that this was her own fault. She'd brought this all upon herself.

She had only wanted to do what she thought Heejin wanted. But she was wrong, she'd misjudged her, and she'd ruined everything. It was too late to take anything back.

Now, she was sitting by herself in a computer lab, hiding from nosy freshman and forced to live with the fact that she'd hurt the girl she thought she loved.

 

* * *

 

_It had started just like any other day._

_It was Christmas Eve, and Jungeun was at Jinsoul's house helping her set up everything for the annual Christmas party._

_This year, the AV Club had more members than ever so their party, while relatively timid considering it would only be the 12 of them, would be a bit more exciting than usual. Yeojin had only started high school this year but she fit in remarkably quickly, Chaewon had joined the club at the beginning of the year and was finally starting to feel comfortable with everyone, and Hyejoo had only just joined this month but she was starting to bond with them quickly. It was also Vivi, Haseul, Jinsoul, and Sooyoung's senior year, so they wanted to go all out - the club would be awfully empty next year without them._

_Jungeun had come over early to help JInsoul set up. They were just adjusting some finishing touches (adding some last minute candy canes to the tree, wrapping garland around the doorway, turning on the coffee maker so it'd be ready for hot chocolates) when Jungeun got a text from Heejin._

_"im here early, pls come out i need to talk to u"_

_Jungeun was confused and off-put but the vague secrecy, wondering what Heejin didn't want to say in front of Jinsoul, but she trusted her girlfriend and made her way upstairs to see what Heejin needed to say._

_When she walked into Jinsoul's front hallway, Jungeun saw through the windows around the front door that Heejin was standing on the front porch wearing her massive jacket that practically swallowed her and shivering from the cold as she absentmindedly brushed the snowflakes out of her dark hair._

_She opened the door with a smile on her face, but Heejin's didn't light up the way she usually did when she was with Jungeun and her smile didn't reach her eyes, so Jungeun felt her expression grow cold with worry._

_"Hey, what's wrong?" Jungeun asked, trying to keep her voice steady but she couldn't hide her concern, she hadn't seen Heejin look so down in a long time._

_Heejin sighed, not making eye contact with Jungeun, "I don't know if I can see you anymore"._

_Jungeun could swear she felt her heart stop._

_She'd only been with Heejin for a few months, but she was sure what they had was real. It felt like something more than just a high school relationship. It felt important._

_How could she say this, how could she show up here and tell Jungeun this was it, as if Jungeun could just snap her fingers and get over her, as if Jungeun would ever completely get over her?_

_"That's it?" Jungeun managed to say, not letting her emotions show through her calm facade. Heejin's placid expression was off-putting, Jungeun felt like she needed to mirror it._

_Heejin looked like she wanted to say more, her eyes were filling with tears. Jungeun knew this wasn't easy, but why was she doing this? Why was she willing to give up on what they had, there had to be a reason? Jungeun had to have done something, there had to be a reason. Why wasn't Heejin saying anything?_

_"Did I do something?" Jungeun added, when Heejin only stood there, letting the snow slowly soak them._

_Heejin shook her head, "No, Jungeun, you didn't d-do anything it's j-just that I..."_

_When Heejin hesitated, Jungeun's emotions got the better of her and she couldn't stop the bitter words from pouring out of her._

_"Oh, okay Heejin. I get it. You're tired of me, right? I should've realized sooner. I should've reminded myself that you're Jeon Heejin, that you can get anyone you want, that you have the entire school wrapped around your right thumb and I was just a placeholder. You must've found someone better, right? Or maybe you just remembered that you're more important than me? Maybe Princess Heejin just finally remembered her place in the social order. I get it Heejin, I get it. You've got school to worry about too, right? Senior year next year, I'm sure you'll need to start counting your scholarships soon. Perfect Princess Heejin doesn't have time for relationships, right? Yeah, you know what, forget it. Forget me. Forget all of this. Forget these last few months even happened, forget you even know me if you want to. Quit AV Club because you have so many better things to do, or don't, convince the others to kick me out or something. I don't care anymore. Anything to make sure Princess Heejin gets what she wants, like always, and no one says a word to stop her."_

_By the time Jungeun was finished, Heejin was turning to run away, tears streaming down her face and an expression of pure shock clouding her eyes._

_She didn't look back, and she didn't say a word. She didn't tell Jungeun that she was wrong, but she didn't defend herself either. She didn't have anything to say for herself._

_Jungeun waited until Heejin had driven away, then she sat down on the ground and screamed into her hands as she finally let the tears fall._

_Jungeun would give anything to go back in time and take back all of her cold words._

_When she'd finally gone back inside and told Jinsoul what happened, Jinsoul called Haseul to ask if she had any idea why Heejin had done this._

_It was then that Jungeun found out that Heejin's violently homophobic parents had read her texts and learned about their relationship. Heejin had been forced to break up with Jungeun for the sake of her own safety._

_Jungeun had never put the pieces together. She'd always thought it was strange that Heejin chose to keep their relationship secret from her family, even when Jungeun was so open with hers, but she'd accepted it. She'd never really asked. But when Haseul told Jinsoul that if Heejin didn't break up with Jungeun, her parents were going to send her to conversion therapy, Jungeun felt like her world was collapsing around her._

_Heejin had a reason, a really valid one, for needing to break up with Jungeun. Jungeun had jumped to conclusions, had overreacted before Heejin had the chance to explain herself, and had lashed out in the worst possible way._

_Jungeun knew that Heejin's life was far from perfect. She hadn't asked for people to put her on a pedestal in school, or for the "Princess" nickname she'd earned for her popularity combined with the fact that she often got lead roles in musicals and her voice was perfect for Disney characters. She was well aware that Heejin's home life was rough due to the strained relationship she had with her parents but she didn't think of any of this in the moment. She was angry, she was overwhelmed, and she was hurt. She felt like she was losing one of the best things that had ever happened to her._

_Jungeun had cried, and cried, and cried while Jinsoul couldn't do anything but pat her back and hand her tissues every few minutes._

_Jungeun had hurt Heejin, the first person she had ever truly loved, more than she could ever expect to be forgiven for._

_When it was almost time for people to start showing up for the AV Club Christmas party, Jungeun had ran and hid in the bathroom. She didn't know how to face any of her friends, especially Haseul who knew the truth but had not heard even some of Jungeun's side of the story, right now._

_Jinsoul texted Jungeun a half hour later, "hyunjin definitely knows. she keeps whispering to haseul. looks pissed and sad. heejin isn't coming, i don't think she told anyone else. ur probably safe to come out now"_

_Jungeun sighed, and cleaned herself up as much as she could. Her eyes were still slightly swollen, but she hoped no one would notice._

_She went downstairs, and talked to Yerim about Christmas movies for a few minutes but even Yerim, who was usually the brightest person in the world, seemed slightly down._

_Everyone was off-put by Heejin's absence, Jungeun realized. People would start asking questions soon._

_The AV Club was like a family. Spending Christmas together was a tradition, and Heejin had never been this late before. Jungeun didn't want them to ask her questions. Jungeun would be expected to know why her girlfriend was late, why they didn't come in together. Jungeun felt like she couldn't breathe._

_"I have a headache", she said to Yerim suddenly, and Yerim looked concerned, offering to get her water or a cold compress but Jungeun shook her head, "I'm sorry, I think I'll just go home."_

_Everyone seemed to turn towards Jungeun as she said this, because she was already making her way towards the door. It was obvious something was wrong._

_Jungeun wanted to scream. Everything is wrong! I ruined everything! The words echoed over and over in her mind as she ran up the stairs and out onto the porch where she'd crushed Heejin's heart just hours before._

* * *

  

Now, weeks after the worst Christmas Eve imaginable, Jungeun was alone.

The entire school seemed to think she was some cold bitch that had ruined Heejin's life for no reason, and she couldn't even pretend that wasn't close to the truth.

The AV Club was divided, most of them taking Heejin's side because it was hard  _not_ to if you heard things from her perspective. Hyunjin and Haseul hadn't so much as made eye contact with Jungeun once today. Yerim and Jinsoul were being friendly, but even they didn't seem to look at Jungeun the same way anymore. 

Jungeun hadn't only ruined the only serious relationship she'd ever been in, she'd ruined all of her most meaningful friendships too.

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking off her self destructive reverie. She couldn't undo what she'd said to Heejin. She needed to live with the consequences, quit moping, and repair her friendships as best as she could.

But before she could even begin to talk to her other friends and repair relationships with them, there was one person who deserved an apology before anything else.

She needed to speak to Heejin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think of the story so far feedback rly boosts my confidence and motivates me to write faster!!! although i cannot make any promises regarding a chapter schedule or anything as after all first and foremost i am a struggling high school senior with essays to write dfhdshfhs anyways this chapter is a lil longer than the first and ill try to keep doing longer updates with each addition to pls forgive me if updates arent the fastest!!!


	3. iii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED. I AM SO SORRY. school got intense and i am a lil bit all over the place (probably made clear by me updating this @ 1am bye) but i hope u can all forgive me im finally getting into the real plot in this chapter and less backstory :') ALSO thank u all sooo much for feedback uwu!!! pls continue to let me know what u think its incredibly motivational and i love u all!!

The sound of the warning bell felt like a slap in the face to Heejin, who was still sitting on the ground in a bathroom stall. 

She wiped her eyes one last time, and took a deep breath. 

_The worst is over_ , she thought to herself. She'd gotten through her one class with Jungeun, now as long as she could avoid her at lunch, she just might survive this awful first day back. 

As Heejin stood up and brushed off her skirt, she heard the heavy washroom door creak as it was swung open, and heard the several pairs of footsteps accompanied by a rush of quick conversation in voices she didn't bother trying to identify. She needed to get out of this bathroom immediately, whoever these girls were it was likely they knew of Heejin in one way or another. The last thing she needed was a bunch of random students spreading rumours around the school that  _Jeon Heejin_ hid in washroom stalls like a friendless loser.

Of course, Heejin's luck proved to be far from exemplary.

When she tried to rush out of the stall towards the door, her eyes flicked past the mirror and - much to her misfortune - locked with the tallest of the three girls. 

"Heejin?" it was Hyejoo, the newest AV club member. Beside her, fixing her ponytail, was Sooyoung who was in conversation with Chaewon. 

"Hey Hyejoo, good job today", Heejin said, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

Sooyoung turned to face Heejin now, "Haseul's been looking for you. She's freaking out a bit. You should really text her, Hyunjin too".

Heejin nodded and smiled plainly, as if it wasn't weird at all that she'd been avoiding all of her friends for the entire period. 

Before turning her attention back to her hair, Sooyoung added, "I'm sorry, by the way. About everything that happened over the break, it must be really hard to-"

Heejin cut her off before things took a turn for the emotional, "It's okay! Thanks Sooyoungie!" and finally dashed to the exit.

Heejin absolutely hated lying to her friends, but she wasn't ready for the deep talks about how high school love never lasts and hasn't she read Romeo and Juliet? Didn't she see how that worked out?

Checking her phone to dozens of missed calls and texts from Haseul was not surprising at all.

_"heejinnie where are you"_

_"where'd you go"_

_"jinnie i'm with hyunjin can you just come with us to the library or something"  
_

_"you don't have to talk about [redacted]"_

_"please heejin im worried about you"_

The messages went on and on. Haseul made such a great director because she was excellent at acting like one even just among their friend group, and she took it to heart whenever any of them didn't respond to her. She worried a lot, like a mom. Heejin supposed her protective instincts would only be worse now, with everything going on.

_"sorry haseul.. wasn't checking my phone. see you at lunch"_

It was a lame reply, compared to the evident genuine concern in Haseul's messages. Heejin knew this, but she still didn't really want to talk. She was only responding to spare Haseul any further distress.

After deleting all the Haseul notifications, Heejin realized Hyunjin  _had_ been texting her too. While not as excessive as Haseul's, Hyunjin's messages seemed equally sincere and reeked of genuine concern which made Heejin want to vomit. 

_I don't want sympathy!_ Heejin wanted to scream at all of her friends. She's tired of the pitying looks, the texts, the calls, the "are you okay"'s, because they're all a formality. Everyone knows Heejin isn't okay.

If everything was "okay", would the announcements have been so awkward? If everything was "okay", why weren't all the AV club members sitting together like they usually did after a show? If everything was "okay", why weren't the majority of the club speaking to Jungeun? If everything was "okay", why were they concerned for Heejin at all?

No, it was a stupid question. Nothing was okay, and everyone knew that.

 

* * *

 

It was cold in the portable where Hyunjin had second period calculus. 

Why she'd thought taking a 12th year class while still being in her 11th year made sense in the first place remained a mystery, but at least she had Vivi to sit beside.

However, as much as she did enjoy talking with Vivi, the person Hyunjin really wanted to talk to was Heejin. 

It was hard, knowing how much her best friend was hurting and not being able to do anything to help. 

First, Heejin's awful mother dug through Heejin's texts while she was in the washroom and found out about her not only being lesbian, but dating Jungeun. Then, her mother threatened to kick Heejin out of the house and send her to conversion therapy if she didn't cut off contact with Jungeun entirely and "find God again". Of course, because that was not bad enough, Jungeun reacted in the most horrendous way possible and treated Heejin as if any of this were her own fault.

Hyunjin was so frustrated with the entire situation that she could cry. Jungeun had no right to hurt Heejin the way she did, and Hyunjin had suspected all along that the two would never last as a couple. Heejin needed someone more dependable and rational to balance out her tendency to act impulsively based on passion.

_Heejin needs someone like me_ , Hyunjin though solemnly. 

After so many years of silently crushing on her best friend, how could Heejin still be so oblivious? Hyunjin didn't think she did the greatest job of hiding it, as Jiwoo had guessed her secret only within days of meeting her. Of course, once Jiwoo knew Sooyoung knew, and Yerim, and Chaewon, and if it were anyone but Heejin, Jungeun also would've also been told surely, but despite her slight blabbermouth tendencies, Jiwoo knew there was a line and telling Jungeun that Hyunjin was in love with her girlfriend would definitely have been crossing it. 

Hyunjin shook her head, she needed to stop thinking like this. Heejin loved Jungeun, and even if Jungeun had broken her heart, she wasn't going to snap her fingers and be ready to love someone else. She needed to heal, and Hyunjin's idea of  _finally_ pursuing a relationship with Heejin, while nice to think about, would only hurt her more. 

What Heejin needed most right now was a friend, Hyunjin knew that. But Heejin was being Heejin, and isolating herself as much as possible because she felt like a bother. She always did this, tried to become unapproachable whenever she was going through something. She hated feeling like a burden, and thought the solution was to cut herself off from everyone she cared about. Hyunjin knew her too well to let her get away with this.

Heejin's second period class was history, which she had with Jinsoul. Jinsoul was too close to Jungeun, there was no chance she'd be comfortable talking to Heejin. Hyunjin knew Heejin would be spending this period alone, and she didn't want to stand by and accept that.

When her first messages had been left on read, she knew the only way to get Heejin to talk would be to avoid the elephant in the room and text her as if everything was completely normal.

Naturally, Hyunjin sent her an 8-ball request. 

When Heejin responded to take her turn within 30 seconds, Hyunjin couldn't help but smile. Not only was her best friend incredibly predictable, she was also terrible at 8-ball and had managed to line up at least 3 balls perfectly for Hyunjin. 

"What's so funny?" Vivi asked a few minutes later, catching Hyunjin off guard as she lifted her head from the screen.

"Heejin just lost in like, 5 turns", Hyunjin laughed.

"I'm glad she's okay, and I'm glad you're okay too", Vivi said with a soft smile.

Hyunjin was a bit confused now, "me? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Vivi shook her head, as if amused, "I know it was hard for you to see Heejin with Jungeun. I know it's even harder for you to see her hurting. But she needs you, and I'm glad you feel up to being her support".

"Ugh! Who told you!" Hyunjin yelled louder than intended, earning a dirty look from the teacher who was sitting at her desk pretending to grade tests, while probably playing Buzzfeed quizzes in actuality. 

Vivi laughed, "Yeojin told me, but I also would've guessed eventually, I mean come on..."

Hyunjin shoved Vivi's arm playfully, "sometimes I miss when you used to be quiet!"

Vivi gasped exaggeratedly, and put on a hurt expression as she crossed her arms and looked away from Hyunjin, "I'm never talking to you again".

Hyunjin pouted, put Vivi left her head turned the other way. Without giving in and facing Hyunjin again, she nonchalantly added, "Just for the record, I think you and Heejin would be great together. I think everybody thinks that. I know things are weird now, but I really hope you guys work out someday."

Hyunjin sighed wistfully, "I hope so too".

 

* * *

 

 

In History, Heejin was making it her mission to act like nothing was off at all.

She even sat in her usual seat beside Jinsoul, which felt like a terrible decision given Jinsoul's close friendship with Jungeun and her sureness to choose Jungeun's side over Heejin's but nonetheless, she didn't want any of their classmates to notice anything was off between the two of them.

Of course, even though this was a 12th year class, everyone knew Heejin. She'd never really  _tried_ to be popular in that sense, it had just sort of come naturally. In her first year, she'd gotten a significant supporting role in the school musical, and that was really where her name became recognizable. After that musical, people would stop her in the hallways to tell her they loved her singing, or that she was a gifted actress. It had felt fake at first, the stereotypical high school fame. But as time passed, instead of dying down, Heejin only became more accustomed to it. She kept doing musicals, and joined AV Club in her second year because her mom was pressuring her to join a club because it looked good on a resume. AV Club had felt like a safe choice, since Heejin already knew a bit about production and live shows, and she was a natural when it came to addressing crowds. She'd convinced her best friend since elementary school, Hyunjin, to join alongside her, and sure enough they'd ended up fitting in quickly and it would be through AV Club that the pair would meet all of their other close friends.

Now, in her third and second-last year of high school, Heejin was completely comfortable with the attention she got regularly. 

Or at least, she was before Christmas break.

Now, everything felt suffocating, including sitting beside Jinsoul, who just weeks ago had been a close friend of hers.

Snapping out of her reverie, Heejin realized the teacher was assigning topics for a research project, to be presented at the end of the week. Of course, she was just following the seating plan which meant Heejin would be working with Jinsoul.

Glancing over, Heejin noticed the older girl wouldn't even look in her direction. It was clear that she was just as uncomfortable as Heejin was, only she was doing a poor job at hiding it. Heejin could cry, this was so frustrating. They had to put together a presentation, and Jinsoul wouldn't so much as look at her.

When her phone dinged with an 8-ball request from Hyunjin, Heejin didn't even bother being subtle and turned all her attention to her phone. If Jinsoul didn't want to talk that was fine, Heejin had real friends who actually wanted to communicate with her (even if through iMessage games).

A few minutes later, Jinsoul cleared her throat impatiently and Heejin reluctantly looked up from the game she was - losing, horribly - quite enjoying, only because Hyunjin was so competitive about it.

"So like, are we actually going to do any work, or..." Jinsoul said quietly but with a frustrated tone.

_Oh, so that's how this is going to go,_  Heejin thought to herself. Jinsoul couldn't seriously be blaming Heejin for being unproductive, not when the older hadn't exactly made any effort to begin their project either.

But Heejin knew arguing would only cause a scene, and that was the last thing she wanted. "Okay, sure. I'll make a shared folder so we can just put all our notes in the same place tonight and then figure out how to organize them tomorrow".

"Oh good, we're limiting in-person interactions", Jinsoul said with what Heejin wanted to believe was sarcasm but almost sounded like genuine anger.

Heejin was infuriated and caught off guard, was Jinsoul seriously trying to pick a fight with her? Was she really angry with the younger for breaking up with Jungeun for the sake of her own safety? Or worse, had Jungeun lied to Jinsoul about the circumstances surrounding the breakup, to make Heejin look worse? Did Jinsoul know that Jungeun had lashed out and done everything in her power to break Heejin's heart? Did Jinsoul realize that Heejin was hurting too? This breakup, really, wasn't even Jinsoul's business to be making judgments on anyways.

Heejin decided not to respond to Jinsoul's comment, because she couldn't think of any insightful peacemaking comment and she really did not want to engage in any kind of debate or argument in the middle of a class, where everyone could listen. Or, at all, because this was someone she had once considered a close friend, and she wasn't about to abandon all hope of ever rekindling a friendship.

When the bell rang, ending the uncomfortable silence, Heejin could finally breathe a sigh of relief. 

She gathered her things as quickly as possible, and after waving goodbye to her other casual friends in the class, started to make her way towards the door. 

To Heejin's complete surprise, Jinsoul grabbed her arm and muttered something about not rushing out so quickly before saying the last thing Heejin possibly could've wanted to hear:

_"Come to the usual club table at lunch. Jungeun wants to talk to you."_


	4. iv.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally finding time to update!!! between school and my job i rly rly rly do not have much free time these days so im so sorry for how spaced out updates have been ;_; but hey im finally moving the plot along in this chapter now that we've gotten all the backstory out of the way hhfdhfhds... now we get into some More messy drama. just wait guys i promise theres a real story in here somewhere

When the bell rang signifying the beginning of lunch period, Heejin's stomach was doing somersaults. 

The phrase  _Jungeun wants to talk to you_ had been echoing in Heejin's mind on an endless loop, and it was starting to make her feel queasy. What could Jungeun possibly want from her? What was there to say? _Hadn't she said more than enough already,_ Heejin thought to herself bitterly.

Thankfully, Haseul was the first person Heejin's eyes landed on as she walked into the cafeteria. The crowded dual-purpose lunch room and auditorium was buzzing with students excitedly talking about their winter breaks, and easily slipping back into the same conversations they would have among friends before the break. Oh, how envious Heejin felt.

Haseul immediately hugged Heejin the way a mother would hug her child after her first heartbreak, and somehow this only made Heejin want to cry. When Haseul released her and saw Heejin's eyes filling with tears, she immediately started fussing with pulling out a stray thread from the sleeve of Heejin's jacket to distract her. "You know you don't have to act like my mom  _all_ the time" Heejin said, knowing Haseul would know she was only kidding and that Heejin really did appreciate all that Haseul did for her.

"If I don't, who will? Can't trust  _Mrs. Jeon_ with that responsibility, so I have no choice but to step in and raise you right", Haseul said with a tone that suggested lightheartedness but her words carried weight. Haseul refused to refer to Heejin's mother in such terms, she was only Mrs. Jeon, because she did not treat Heejin much like her child.

It was cold in the cafeteria, and Heejin felt the goosebumps rising on her arms that somehow seemed to be caused by much more than just the cool breeze.

Vivi, Jiwoo, and Sooyoung were already sitting at the usual table, and Jiwoo was giving Heejin a reassuring smile and gesturing for her to sit down and join them.

 _These are my friends_ , Heejin reminded herself,  _I can do this_. 

She sat down nervously beside Vivi, and Haseul joined them as well. 

 _This is already wrong_ , Heejin couldn't stop herself from thinking,  _I'm supposed to sit at the end of the table with Jungeun_.

"Jiwoo-ya, how are you liking photography?" Vivi was asking.

Instead of responding, Jiwoo pulled her camera out of her bag and immediately started taking too-close pictures of Sooyoung, who was entirely not prepared and tried to cover her face until Jiwoo started fake crying and begging for Sooyoung to model for her. With a laugh, Sooyoung flipped her hair and turned to look at Jiwoo over her shoulder, blowing kisses and posing like she was on a runway and not sitting in a high school cafeteria.

Heejin, Vivi, and Haseul couldn't contain their laughter. It was strange to imagine how awkward and quiet Sooyoung had been when she met all of them, before Jiwoo had joined the club and Sooyoung had promptly wound up wrapped around the younger girl's finger.

Haseul turned and whispered to Heejin, "It's really nice to see you smile". 

Once again, Heejin felt like crying. Haseul was just being Haseul, all caring and protective, but she still felt emotional whenever the older girl said things like this. Heejin didn't know what she was going to do when her mom-friend graduated this year.

Hyejoo arrived at the table next, and she looked as lost as Heejin had felt. The foursome called Hyejoo over, and the youngest girl smiled warmly and almost looked surprised to be included.

"You know you always have a place with us, right Hyejoo?" Sooyoung said when their newest club member sat down. There was something so profound in the undertones of that statement that it caught Heejin off guard, was everyone being so emotional on purpose today?

Hyejoo again, looked adorably surprised, "Oh, I hoped so, I was just worried everybody wouldn't want to sit together today but I'm really happy we are. I feel a lot better with you guys than anybody else". 

Heejin, Haseul, Vivi, Sooyoung, and Jiwoo audibly "Awwww"ed in response to Hyejoo's heartfelt remarks. It was comforting to know their newest recruit who was also among the youngest of the group, felt so at home with them already. The AV Club had always taken pride in acting like a family.

After a few minutes of casual conversation and uneventful catching up took place, Heejin asked Vivi where Hyunjin was, since it was weird they hadn't arrived at the same time, being in the same class.

"She said she had something to take care of?" Vivi answered, mirroring the confusion Heejin felt too.

Haseul frowned and pulled out her phone, no doubt texting Hyunjin and asking what was going on.

After another few minutes passed without interruption, and Heejin almost felt completely relaxed, the moment finally arrived.

It was about halfway through lunch period when Jungeun made her entrance.

There were whispers from all around the AV Club table, whispers that Heejin realized belatedly must've surrounded herself too, as Jungeun sat down directly across from Heejin.

Heejin wanted to avoid looking at her but she couldn't stop herself. Jungeun's long blonde hair that had been down earlier was tied into a ponytail now, and Heejin also noticed she'd reapplied her makeup recently, it looked a bit less polished than earlier. Not that she looked bad, just less put-together and perfect than she typically did. Heejin wished she could've taken some kind of selfish satisfaction in that, the proof that Jungeun was not as inhumane and emotionless as she'd built her up to be. But perhaps that only hurt more, knowing that Jungeun did in fact have a conscience and the girl Heejin had once loved was also in pain. 

"Heejin-" Jungeun started, but Haseul cut her off, "Don't you dare".

Jiwoo and Sooyoung's conversation went silent, and Vivi and Hyejoo were looking down at the table uncomfortably.

"I'm not going to-" Jungeun tried again, looking directly at Heejin who was too nervous to look away, but once again Haseul interfered.

"You're not going to manipulate her into forgiving you. So if that's all you came to do, just leave".

Haseul was never so cold, especially not to an AV Club member, and Heejin could clearly hear Hyejoo breathe in sharply.

Jungeun looked frustrated now, like she genuinely did have something important to tell Heejin.

In a moment of weakness, Heejin stood up and grabbed Jungeun's arm. "Haseul it's okay, I can handle myself", she said as she half-dragged Jungeun behind her into the hallway.

"Be fast" Heejin said the second they were out of the cafeteria, "Before nosy freshman come listen, or Haseul comes to kill you". 

"I would laugh if that wasn't a genuine fear of mine at the moment" Jungeun said, almost smiling.

"If you have nothing to say I'm going back inside".

"Wait"

"Spit it out, Jungeun"

"I didn't want to hurt you, I want you to know that".

Heejin couldn't stop herself, she laughed. Not a lighthearted, innocent laugh. She snorted in disbelief. "Please"

Jungeun looked desperate now, tears were welling up in her eyes, "Heejin. Listen to me. I don't need you to forgive me. I said terrible things and I know that. I crossed every line in the world, I ruined everything for the worst possible reasons that were never your fault. But I don't want you to think it was intentional. I don't think so low of you, I don't think of you as  _Princess Heejin_ , I don't think of you as spoiled or selfish or conceited or anything along those lines. I blew up, yeah. I fucked everything up, yeah. But that was one moment of destruction, not some pent-up frustration that I'm terrified you think it was. I just don't want you to blame yourself. You did nothing wrong to me, Heejin. Never. It was me who didn't deserve you, me who ruined everything, me who needed someone to blame and lashed out in the worst way. But I know you, and I know somewhere in your head you're blaming yourself or wondering how you caused this. It wasn't you, Heejin. That's all I wanted to say. I can't live with the thought of you hating yourself for this. I didn't come here to get down on my knees and beg for you to forgive me. I came here to beg you to forgive yourself, that's all."

Heejin stood still for what must've been at least a minute, wide-eyed and confused, her head spinning with all these words hitting her at once.

Jungeun still loved her, clearly. She wasn't saying it, but the implication was there. She cared about Heejin deeply.

Heejin couldn't stop herself, she suddenly grabbed Jungeun's face with her hands and kissed her, hard.

It wasn't a sweet, gentle kiss. It was desperate, it was a goodbye. 

When she pulled away, Heejin could tell by Jungeun's shocked but placid expression that she knew this. She knew Heejin. She knew the kiss wasn't about love, it was about letting go. Heejin needed to kiss her one last time to show her she understood her, to get the proper closure they both needed desperately after the snow-soaked tears and choking sobs on Jinsoul's porch. It wasn't a happy ending, not by a long shot, but that didn't really matter. It wasn't about happiness. It was about closing the chapter once and for all.

Neither of the girls knew what to say. Jungeun was crying. Not hard, but tears were welling up in her eyes. Heejin felt numb. She didn't think she could move, if she tried she'd fall over or something. Their relationship had been intense, and while the breakup had been equally intense, this felt more like a true ending and neither of them could quite process that.

Suddenly, crowds of people could be heard running towards the front of the school, around the corner, yelling indistinguishably. 

"What the hell?" Heejin said, thinking aloud.

Haseul burst out of the cafeteria, looking horrified. Heejin and Jungeun both turned to face the older girl, and Haseul didn't even have a chance to ask what happened between the two of them before blurting out a sentence that didn't even seem to make sense.

"You need to come with me to the main office, Hyunjin and Jinsoul are about to get expelled for fighting". 


	5. v.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay. well. it's been a while since my last update (i say this every single time? im so sorry?) i was Going to update this like last week, but then my drafted chapter just , deleted itself so here i am. re-writing the entire thing. but good news! i think im finally close to wrapping this story up, there'll probably only be one or two chapters after this!! everything resolves itself soon c:

Heejin was frozen in place, convinced she misheard Haseul.

"Fighting?" the younger girl echoed.

"Yes, come on!" the AV Club president grabbed Heejin's arm and tugged her out of her apparent paralysis, dragging her towards the front of the school, the same place the massive crowd had just herded towards.

Jungeun was still dazed from her conversation with Heejin, but suddenly realized the two dark-haired girls were already halfway down the hallway and were about to disappear into the sea of people, so naturally she sprinted off after them.

" _Fighting_? Why would Hyunjin and Jinsoul be  _fighting_? This doesn't make any sense", Heejin attempted to say to Haseul, but the shorter girl was making herself busy shoving, elbowing, and pushing through the chaotic crowd of underclassmen. Eventually, Heejin gave up on conversation - partially because she would need to shout to be heard over the roar of the crowd, partially because it was taking all of her energy to keep up with Haseul, who still had a tight grip on the younger girl's wrist.

Finally, when the two reached the office room and the hallway wasn't quite so busy, Haseul let go of Heejin's arm to knock on the door. 

The secretary looked exasperated when she came to see who was at the door, but her expression softened as she realized the girl knocking was Jo Haseul - student body president, top scholar in her class, accomplished creator and president of the AV club, and owner of the highest total volunteer hours in the school. 

"Miss Jo, come in", she said pleasantly, not greeting Heejin but letting her in as well, "What brings you ladies here?"

Haseul opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by another knock on the door. It was Jungeun, looking as frazzled as Heejin felt. Begrudgingly, Haseul turned to let her in, nodding to the secretary to say Jungeun was with them.

"Sorry I'm late, it's crazy out there", Jungeun said with a breathy laugh, and Heejin almost felt herself smile but stopped herself upon noticing Haseul's stoic expression.

In response to the previous question, Haseul looked as nervous as Heejin felt as she spoke. "Actually ma'am, I was told some friends of mine may be here speaking with the principal? Kim Hyunjin and Jung Jinsoul? I assure you whatever happened must have been a misundersta-"

The secretary cut her off quickly, "Miss Jo, you know it is against school policy to discuss disciplinary matters with students who are not involved. However... due to the circumstances and your exemplary record, I suppose an exception can be made."

 _Thank God for Haseul's academic excellence,_ Heejin thought to herself as Jungeun and herself turned join Haseul in following the secretary, but were stopped.

"Sorry girls, you'll have to wait here, please take a seat if you like", the secretary spoke curtly, as if annoyed. Haseul mouthed  _I'm sorry_ at Heejin as she followed the secretary down the office corridor towards the principal's personal office.

Once the clicking of the secretary's heels had faded into silence, Heejin turned to Jungeun who only shrugged before sitting down in one of the waiting area seats.

Heejin followed, sitting down beside her ex. The silence was deafening, and the chairs were uncomfortable. 

Jungeun was smiling, then audibly stifling her laughter.

"What's so funny?" Heejin practically whispered, as if terrified someone was watching them.

"Haseul... she's so terrifying sometimes" Jungeun said, still smiling.

Heejin couldn't help but smile, "It's no wonder she's so good at anything she puts her mind to - would  _you_ want to cross her?"

Jungeun's smile turned somewhat bittersweet, "I think it's safe to say it's a bit late for that advice".

"She's just being protective, you know how she is", Heejin said, although she knew that was an understatement to say the least. Realizing the atmosphere was getting uncomfortable again, she added "and I mean, how scary can she really be. She still says 'fudge' in place of fuck".

Jungeun laughed at that, and Heejin couldn't stop herself from smiling. Jungeun's laugh was so loud and undeniably contagious.

"Hey!" Jungeun pointed out, "I don't know if I'd call her the scariest AV Club member though. Remember how scared of Hyejoo we all were? I mean, until she opened her mouth and we realized she's basically an over-sized baby with resting bitch face."

It was Heejin's turn to guffaw now, and sure enough suddenly the two girls were no longer worrying about keeping quiet, they were talking and laughing the same way they always used to, without the stress of their breakup. Even as a couple, they hadn't been able to have mindless conversations the same way they could before, when they were nothing more than friends. Now, that easygoing, casual, comfortable feeling was back.

It was strange, how easy it could be to press restart.

 

* * *

 

In the principal's office, Haseul couldn't think of a time in her life she'd felt more relieved.

She could barely even get the words out, she was so unprepared for this conversation, "So you weren't... I thought you... you weren't fighting each other?"

The two girls in question started laughing uncontrollably, and even the principal seemed amused.

Hyunjin was beside herself, barely able to speak between wheezes, "You thought... me and Jinsoul... fought... like against each other?"

Haseul stomped as if she were throwing a temper tantrum, "Yes! That's how it sounded!"

Jinsoul, catching her breath, added with a smile, "Well, we weren't. I just texted Hyunjin to come help me tell off some bitchy freshmen-"

"Language, Miss Jung!" the principal interjected.

"Sorry ma'am. I texted Hyunjin to come help me tell off some  _mean_ freshmen, who were saying some gross homophobic shit-"

"Jung Jinsoul!"

"Sorry! Gross homophobic  _garbage_ about Jungeun and Heejin, and since Hyunjin's so good at like, arguing and stuff, I figured she'd be able to help me out in case shit got ugly-"

"Miss Jung, I will re-evaluate your punishment!"

"Agh! Fine! I just wanted Hyunjin to back me up, because I had a feeling it wouldn't be a simple conversation but I couldn't let them get away with saying what they were saying. So I went up to them and was all 'what makes you think it's okay to talk out of your a- I mean, _butt_ ' and they were all 'oh we didn't say anything' and I was like 'really? I heard you using homophobic slurs when talking about my best friend' and this one little bi-  _brat!_ was all 'oh so what if we did?' followed by a stream of very derogatory comments about how she doesn't respect gay people which I will not repeat, and that was when Hyunjin walked up and was like 'this school is an LGBTQ safe space, you can get expelled for speaking like that' and the little brat slapped her! So of course I retaliated by shoving her back, but then her little friends started like, kicking at us so what could we do we had to fight ba-"

The principal held up a hand and cut off an out of breath Jinsoul, "As much as I'm sure Miss Jo appreciates the play-by-play recap, you can fill her in on the details later, Jinsoul. What I believe Miss Jung is trying to say is that your friends weren't the instigators of this disturbance, and as such will not be expelled. The freshman in question are known for being rather... arrogant, for lack of a better word, and those who witnessed the altercation are telling the same story as these two ladies."

Haseul sighed heavily, this was a much better outcome than what she'd feared. For a few minutes at least, she'd genuinely believed two of her best friends  _fought_ each other. It was as if Heejin and Jungeun's breakup had flipped the entire AV Club upside down, and now the universe was slowly setting itself right again. Jinsoul and Hyunjin, despite being on "opposite sides", had defended each other. Outside the cafeteria, Heejin and Jungeun seemed to have reached some form of closure - while Haseul wasn't sure how, she trusted they'd figure things out for themselves.

Maybe nothing was as terrible as it had initially seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you as always for your constant amazing feedback, every comment means the world to me and inspires me so much!! i am sorry that this chapter was a bit on the shorter side, but the next one's gonna be big i promise :D


	6. vi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /insert my usual apologies for slow updates here/ seriously though, i'm so sorry for being a nightmare of a fic updater.. thankfully youre almost done having to put up with me though <3 lmao but fr this is the second last chapter and i'm SO thankful for the amount of incredibly sweet comments and support this fic has received in general! i'm so happy so many of you enjoyed reading something that i initially started writing entirely for my own self-indulgent reasons, because av club!loona is everything my media studies majoring self has ever wanted. we've come so far truly, although i have not because it's literally 4am and i have work tomorrow so i am still as irresponsible as ever but anyways this is a long note oops. seriously though! thank you so much for everything, and i hope this chapter was at least Slightly worth the wait. xo

_It was as if Heejin and Jungeun's breakup had flipped the entire AV Club upside down, and now the universe was slowly setting itself right again._

 

* * *

 

When Haseul had returned from the principal's office beaming, with Hyunjin and Jinsoul trailing close behind her, both giggling, Heejin immediately knew that everything was alright. Her heart nearly skipped a beat seeing how happy Hyunjin looked, the last few times she'd seen her best friend she'd been so wrapped up in worrying about Heejin that she didn't seem quite like herself at all. Seeing her best friend happy meant everything to Heejin, she could hardly remember what she'd been so upset about this morning anymore.

"This is... not the expression I expected Haseul to have when she came back" Jungeun said, laughing but also not daring to meet Haseul's eyes.

"Oh my god, don't tell me you thought we were fighting  _each other_ too!" Jinsoul said, walking over to smack her best friend playfully on the arm.

Standing up, Jungeun protested loudly, "Hey! It's what Haseul said!"

"Oh, so it was all your fault" Hyunjin chimed in, turning to Haseul and mischievously smiling.

Haseul pouted angrily, much to the amusement of the other girls, and attempted to defend herself: "Listen! When Jiwoo said 'my lab partner just texted me asking if i know what Hyunjin and Jinsoul were fighting about' what does that imply?! And then Vivi said Hyunjin texted her that she was in the principal's office-"

"You texted Vivi but not me?!" Heejin interjected angrily, partially joking but partially feeling a bit hurt.

"I thought you had bigger things to worry about today!" Hyunjin argued, glancing at Jungeun for a second too long.

An awkward silence followed, but it didn't last long.

"We're all good now, guys" Heejin said, smiling at Jungeun, "it doesn't need to be awkward. We're friends again, so thank god you guys  _weren't_ fighting over us".

Hyunjin and Jinsoul looked stunned, but Haseul looked over the moon. "Oh thank god, I was about ten minutes from a breakdown if I had to see all my kids divided like this-"

"Kids? I'm older than you?" Jinsoul cut Haseul off.

"But I don't fight with 14-year-olds" Haseul snapped back uncharacteristically quickly, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"You fought with a 14-year-old?!" Jungeun guffawed.

Jinsoul opened her mouth to recount the entire story in her own defense, but Haseul cut her off hilariously by clapping a hand over her mouth before she could even get a word out, "she'll update you later! Now can we please stop being so loud in the office before we really do get kicked out!"

Still giggling at the thought of Jinsoul having an all-out brawl with someone half her size, Heejin and Jungeun led the girls back out into the hallway, where the crowd had for the most part completely dispersed. A few nearby sophomores immediately started whispering upon seeing the five of them together, but none of them bothered to look in their direction.

Back in the cafeteria, Yerim, Chaewon, and Yeojin have joined Vivi, Sooyoung, Jiwoo, and Hyejoo in sitting at their regular table. Yeojin notices the five girls from the principal's office re-entering the cafeteria first, and immediately gasps happily and smacks Yerim in excitement, "See! They're all together!" Heejin read the youngest member's lips.

Heejin goes to sit on the end of the table across from Hyejoo, as Hyunjin naturally slips in beside her. 

"I'm going to assume Soul and Hyunjinnie  _weren't_ fighting, then", Yerim says without a hint of sarcasm, sending both Hyunjin and Jinsoul as well as Haseul into hysterics again. "Hey! I wasn't kidding! I actually wanted to know what happened!" Yerim adds, pouting and crossing her arms across her chest like a child.

Jinsoul finally gets to tell the story as dramatically as she'd been wanting to earlier, getting Jungeun to stand in for the "homophobic 12 year old bitch" (Jinsoul's words) (Yeojin pointed out at least four times that freshmen are  _not_ twelve) as she reenacts the conflict in as much detail as possible - with interjections from Hyunjin of course ( _"you definitely didn't karate kick her" "she did not fly across the room and take down her friends like a bowling ball"_ ). 

While everyone laughs and plays along with Jinsoul's dramatics, Heejin finds herself zoning out a bit, just looking up and down the table and smiling absentmindedly at the sight of her friends goofing off and acting like fools as if nothing had ever happened. Jiwoo keeps trying hold Sooyoung's hand but the older girl continues laughing and reaching up to cover her mouth, so Jiwoo misses the opportunity over and over again. Upset that her girlfriend (for once) isn't giving her complete and undivided attention, Jiwoo looks to Chaewon seeking pity, however Chaewon simply pretends to gag. 

 _Ah yes_ , Heejin thinks to herself,  _everything is very much back to the way it should be._

Heejin manages to catch Hyunjin's eye, even amid the chaos that is the AV club table. Hyunjin doesn't say anything, just smiles and grabs Heejin's hand below the table. Sometimes, when two people are close enough, words aren't a necessary part of communication. Gestures can tell stories that words can't, and Heejin knew that Hyunjin was telling her that no matter what happens, she's going to be here for her. It's impossible for Heejin to imagine what her life would be like without Hyunjin - they've been best friends for so long that she can't even remember what her life  _was_ like without her. 

Heejin doesn't see this, but a few seats away Vivi notices the two younger members holding hands, and smiles knowingly to herself.

* * *

 

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, which was a miracle considering how agonizingly long the morning had felt.

 

~~(Some might say the morning has been written about for months now... okay sorry I shouldn't drag my slow updates mid chapter bye)~~

 

Jungeun didn't even have time to stop and process how much had happened in just one day until she was sitting outside waiting for her bus. Before, she would sit with Haseul as they lived close enough to each other that they not only took the same bus, but got off at the same stop. But she'd been too afraid to approach Haseul after lunch, they had no classes together and considering the older girl had thought Jungeun was the scum of the earth just hours ago, it didn't seem like a good move to unpack everything she wanted to say to Haseul over text.

When Haseul not only came to sit with Jungeun, but  _initiated_ conversation, Jungeun felt that the word "shocked" would be a gross understatement of what she was feeling.

Sitting down completely casually, the words "Look, I'm really sorry for how I've treated you today" were coming out of Haseul's mouth but Jungeun couldn't process the meaning, it took a few seconds to sink in.

Sorry? She's sorry?  _Haseul_ is sorry?

"I was supposed to apologize to you! You have nothing to be sorry for!" Jungeun immediately protested, "You were just being a good friend!"

Haseul shook her head vehemently, "I could've been a good friend to Heejin without being a bitch to you. I'm really, really sorry"

Jungeun couldn't stop herself, she gasped.

"What!" Haseul knew where this was going, but asked anyways.

"I've never heard you cuss before!" Jungeun said in complete and utter seriousness.

"We have kids in the AV club, I'm good at keeping it PG13 but I'm not 9 years old! You don't have to act like it's  _that_ big of a deal!" Haseul was pretending to be offended, but she was smiling and laughing along with Jungeun.

The conversation is interrupted by the bus pulling up, and it's crowded so they both have to stand and there's no real way to talk when surrounded so many by rowdy students.

"Okay but seriously, I deserved it" Jungeun says and shrugs, when the bus has finally dropped them off at their stop and they're able to talk properly, "What I did to Heejin was so far from acceptable and I don't really deserve forgiveness from any of you guys,  _especially_ Heejin. But you have nothing to be apologizing to me for - I deserved all the dirty looks and so much more".

Haseul shakes her head, but doesn't say anything for a few moments. She looks like she's trying not to cry, Jungeun realizes and her heart clenches. She's never seen Haseul look so upset, and she doesn't know what to do.

Before she has a chance to say something, Haseul buries her head in her hands before speaking.

"I try really hard to be a good leader when it comes to club stuff - keep the studio all clean and all the announcements organized, direct the shows well, help with everybody else's jobs whenever I can - but all of that pales in comparison to trying to act like a leader in like, the real world. I mean, I love being the mom friend. It's who I am, everybody knows it, it's just my nature. But it's scary sometimes, I feel like any time something bad happens it's my fault, like I should've been able to do something to prevent anyone from getting hurt. I know that's just impossible, and I can't help everyone all the time, but it's just how I feel, you know? So seeing how much pain Heejin and you were in, it like, physically hurt me. I just wanted everything to be okay again, and I was lashing out at you because I was looking for someone I could blame other than myself because I didn't know what to do. I just feel like such a useless leader, because the second I stepped back you guys figured it all out and now everything's okay but I just wish I could've done something to help rather than make things worse".

Jungeun doesn't know what to say. Her and Haseul have never been particularly close beyond the convenience of living near one another, but she's always admired the older girl. She always seems so steely and confident, the perfect leader and president. Right now, Haseul looks vulnerable and scared, and Jungeun wants nothing more than to give her a hug - so she does. "You're the best friend any of us ever could've asked for - I mean that. Forget about titles like leader and president and director. We all trust you and rely on you a lot sometimes and I know that's scary, but seriously, you're already doing so much more than any of us ever expected or asked for when we joined the club. You're the reason we feel like a family, you're the heart of the AV club, Haseul."

Jungeun feels Haseul's tears dripping onto her shoulder, as the older girl melts further into the hug. She's shaking a bit, and Jungeun rubs her back gently to try and calm her down. After a few moments, Haseul pulls away and takes a deep breath, wiping her eyes and composing herself.

"I'm so sorry, oh my god" she says, turning away from Jungeun, "I can't believe I just said all that, I'm so sorry".

Jungeun reaches over to grab Haseul's hand, even though she won't turn around. "You don't have to apologize for being human. I'm here for you, and I want you to know that you can talk to me about stuff like this whenever you need to. I know you don't want to because you think you have to take care of us all the time, but I promise you're allowed to let us take care of you too".

Before Jungeun can say anything more, Haseul is hugging her again. "You're being too nice" she whispers, a hilariously simplistic statement given the conversation they've just had.

"I try, I guess" Jungeun says with a sheepish grin.

What happens next is so much of a blur that Jungeun will have to replay it in her head over and over, in flashes, as she lies awake that night.

Haseul released her from the hug. Haseul was smiling. Haseul's smile is really pretty. Jungeun is glad she made Haseul smile. Haseul's lips are on hers. Jungeun still can't figure out how they got there but she wasn't complaining. When Haseul pulled away she was apologizing again. 

"Oh god, that was an accident!"

"You kissed me by accident?"

"You just broke up with Heejin, you definitely don't want to... oh god... OH GOD I'M SO-"

Jungeun cut Haseul off by kissing her again. She doesn't remember choosing to do that but it felt like a good choice. 

"Heejin and I are friends, we're cool, we're not hurting and we're definitely not still feeling anything for one another."

"I know"

"Then why are you apologizing"

"I don't know"

This time, Jungeun definitely made the conscious choice to kiss Haseul again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, maybe things escalated just a lil quickly there but HEY WOO FOR MAJOR PLOT ADVANCEMENT AM I RIGHT also the foreshadowing from the all-knowing vivi ;) hehehehe final chapter coming (i hope) soon pls stay tuned for more ~ twists that aren't twists because i tagged all the pairings in this fic from chapter one oops ~


	7. vii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally... we have reached chapter 7 of 7 and this story that i've spent so many months thinking about and working on is finally coming to a close!!! although i've been an absolutely terrible updater, i've had so much fun writing this fic and all the positive feedback i've been getting has motivated me SO much to make a conscious effort to write more so! although i'm a struggling first year uni student + i have /two/ part time jobs... this is by far the last time you'll hear from me because i will definitely be writing more for loona in the future! (i'm considering a spin-off fic for this one set a few yrs in the future and probably chuuves centric because i wanted them to have a larger role as a side pairing in this fic but that never rly happened so i'd love to explore their plotline and characters more.. but no promises because as we all know my writing process is very slow so we'll see how things go i guess!)

**_Four Months Later_ **

 

* * *

 

"Unnie, you can't just leave!" Yeojin was kneeling on the ground, holding onto Haseul's leg like kids do to their parents in movies, and wrinkling her gown.

The graduation ceremony wasn't for a few hours, but the AV club had gotten together at Jinsoul's house to get ready together.

"Yeojin-ah, you know we're graduating too, right?" Sooyoung laughed, gesturing to herself as well as Vivi and Jinsoul.

Although meant as a joke, this only made Yeojin more upset. The AV club's only freshman member was tearing up, much to everyone's distress.

"Yeojinnie they're still going to hang out with us all the time!" Hyunjin kneeled down to put her arm around the younger girl.

"Yeah it's just graduation, we're not going to stop being friends!" Jinsoul chimed in.

Standing up reluctantly, Yeojin was wiping her eyes frantically to hide her tears as if embarrassed, "I just don't know what I'm going to do when we aren't all together anymore."

"Just because we aren't in the same school that doesn't mean we aren't-" Haseul attempted, before her voice shook and she was attempting to hold back her own tears, "it doesn't mean we aren't going to be together."

"Unnie please don't cry!" several of the girls chorused, and Heejin was immediately adding "if you cry how can you expect me not to cry too!"

Haseul was frantically fanning herself with her hands to prevent her tears from spilling over.

"None of us would be friends if it weren't for Haseul-unnie" Chaewon said softly, "I was sitting alone in the library during lunch on my first day when I transferred here, and Unnie came and talked to me like it was nothing. She asked what classes I had, and pointed to my history one and said 'my friend is in this class, her name's Jiwoo and she's really friendly, I bet you'd get along with her!'"

Jiwoo giggled, "I was so shocked when you sat next to me in class on the second day because you seemed so shy! But then you said you knew Haseul and it all made sense. When Haseul decides she likes you, it's like you've been enlisted into the army. She's going to recruit you for the AV club and you just can't say no... but like in a good way"

"That was a terrible analogy!" Sooyoung elbowed Jiwoo in the ribs.

"But she's not wrong!" Hyunjin snorted, "Haseul approached Heejin and I after the musical in freshman year, she was the sophomore class president and I was terrified of her so when she said she was starting an AV club and thought Heejin would make a great anchor I was just smiling and nodding", she laughed, "and then she looked at me and said she wanted me to join too because she read the program and noticed I helped with audio direction! Who even reads the programs?!"

Everyone laughed.

"I trust my gut I guess, I knew you guys were a good fit and I didn't just want a club... I wanted friends..." Haseul said softly.

Jungeun tried to be subtle about shifting to hold the club leader's hand, but Heejin noticed and raised her eyebrows at her, smiling. Jungeun immediately looked away, but she was blushing ferociously. 

Haseul sighed before continuing, "I was always the bossy, micro-managing type and even though I was class president and stuff I guess it was really hard for me to find people who I fit in with. Until Sooyoung, Jinsoul and I did a group project together in sophomore media studies. We just instantly got along, and when I joked about starting an AV club together because we all loved that media studies class, I didn't think they'd actually go along with it. And then Jinsoul recruited Jungeun who recruited Jiwoo, I recruited Vivi, and later I recruited Hyunjin and Heejin because we needed at least 8 people to be considered a real club."

"I barely even spoke any Korean when you told me you wanted me to be in a club with you", Vivi added with a giggle, "I didn't really understand what you were asking, I just agreed because you sounded like you knew what you were doing and you were my only friend".

There was a chorus of  _awws_ from the girls. 

"I need to confess something!" Yerim suddenly blurted, "I only applied to join because I thought Sooyoung-unnie was really pretty!"

"WHAT?!" Sooyoung shouted, and everyone was laughing hysterically. 

"Oh my god, I only agreed to join when Jungeun asked me to because I thought Sooyoung was really pretty too!" Jiwoo chimed in.

"Yeah but we all already knew that!" Hyejoo playfully shoved the older girl's shoulder.

"Hey, what made you apply to join?" Chaewon asked Hyejoo.

Hyejoo went silent for a second, blushing a bit before admitting "I thought Heejin-unnie was pretty..."

Everyone was laughing again, and Heejin was blushing furiously. "Hey! You never told me that!"

"You were dating Jungeun-unnie! And I  _also_ did just want to make friends, because transferring here mid-year was terrifying".

Jinsoul spoke up now, "even though we all joined for different reasons, it was Haseul who chose all of us. I remember when she saw Yeojin's application at the beginning of this year, she texted me like  _'this girl wrote on her application that she knows nothing about av, she just wants to make friends and thought we seemed cool... she's perfect'_ ! No other club president would've chosen a member based that application, but Haseul can just  _tell_ when someone will fit the group."

Yeojin was crying again, "Soul-unnie drew me a map of the school on my first week because I kept getting lost and showing up late to AV meetings, I still wouldn't know my way around school without you!"

Another chorus of  _awws_ filled the room, and even Jinsoul looked emotional now. 

"Hey! Stop making me cry!" Yerim suddenly protested, "it took me forever to do my makeup and I don't want it all to be gone before the ceremony even starts!"

"You realize you're just going to be sitting in the audience right, no one cares how  _you_ look" Heejin teased, which Yerim responded to by punching her a bit too hard on the arm.

 

This, fortunately, lightened the heavy atmosphere and the girls started to break off into their own conversations. 

Heejin was talking animatedly to Hyejoo about musicals, because Hyejoo had transferred here so recently she had never seen one of the school ones (which Heejin got a main role in. Every single year. Somehow.)

Hyunjin took a deep breath before walking over and joining the conversation, unsure why she felt so nervous to talk to her friends.

But she quickly realized she wasn't feeling too talkative at the moment, there was something bothering her. She looked down at her hands and decided to pretend she was very interested in her cuticles.

"Is it infected or something?" Heejin suddenly asked, catching Hyunjin off guard.

"What?"

"Your finger!" the shorter girl laughed, grabbing Hyunjin's hand away from her and looking intently at her finger she'd been fixated on, "it looks fine to me!"

Why did Hyunjin feel lightheaded when Heejin touched her hand?

 

_Come on, she's been my best friend for six years but **now** I can't keep my cool?_

 

Hyunjin laughed somewhat awkwardly, and she could tell Heejin was thrown off by her behaviour, but her best friend only shrugged and turned back to her conversation with Hyejoo.

Across the room, Hyunjin managed to catch Vivi's eye.

 _HELP,_ she mouthed desperately, and Vivi (who was in the middle of handing a cup to Jungeun) spilled some of the water on the floor when the younger girl's pathetic appeal caught her off guard.

After the small spill was wiped up, Vivi turned to face Hyunjin and mouthed back  _WHAT DO YOU WANT?_

Hyunjin then attempted to mime her "tragically in love with my best friend and everyone knowing  _except_ said best friend and I'm so desperate to say something I feel like I am going to die" crisis, which shockingly enough, just turned into a lot of big sweeping arm motions, broken heart gestures, and fake tears that although Vivi got the gist of, she found quite hilarious.

"What on earth are you doing?!" Hyejoo asked, and Hyunjin turned to see that both Heejin and Hyejoo were now facing her and giggling as well.

"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW" Hyunjin blurted, pointing directly at Heejin as if the shouting wasn't bad enough.

She felt eleven pairs of eyes all land on her at once.

Heejin's eyes widened and her smile faltered for a second, before she smiled again as if brushing off how weird this outburst was. "Okay, go ahead..?"

"Outside" Hyunjin said, before not giving her best friend a choice and simply grabbing her arm and yanking her upstairs out of Jinsoul's basement and out onto the front porch. On the way up, Hyunjin noticed Vivi was smiling at her and mouthing  _JUST TELL HER._

"You know I don't have the most favourable memories of this place" Heejin said with a nervous laugh, gesturing to the very porch where she'd had her fight with Jungeun once Hyunjin had released her tight grip on Heejin's arm and shut the front door behind them.

"Oh shit, wait I'm so sorry this was stupid we can go back inside I didn't mean to-"

"Hyunjin. Relax. It's fine. What's going on?" Heejin cut her off before she could go into panic mode.

Usually, this was the other way around. Heejin was the type-A, slightly dramatic, slightly over-the-top friend, Hyunjin was the mediator. When did these roles switch?

"Hello? Hyunjin?"

"I like you"

Before Hyunjin had time to think through the situation she'd put herself into, the words just came out and she didn't have a chance to stop them.

Heejin's eyes were wide, but she laughed it off, "Haha.. I hope so! We've been best friends for six years! I'd be pretty upset if you didn't like me!" and she lightly punched Hyunjin's arm.

 _Oh my god,_ Hyunjin thought to herself,  _so this is friendzoning, huh?_

"Hyunjin?" Heejin looked confused, and Hyunjin realized she'd gone silent again.

"I didn't mean it like that" she said quickly.

"What..?"

"I didn't mean... I like you just because we're friends. I meant..."

Hyunjin knew she'd gone too far to turn back now, but the words got stuck in her throat and she just stood there stammering for a few seconds before Heejin seemed to process what she was saying.

"Wait..." Hyunjin's best friend was thinking out loud, "You? Like me? Like that?"

Hyunjin looked rather determinedly at the ground.

"You like me?"

Hyunjin wanted to collapse on the spot. Usually, Heejin was so easy for her to read. She could pinpoint exactly what her best friend was feeling even through text on most days, they were close enough that there was scarcely any grey area. But now, when it mattered most, she felt clueless. She couldn't tell if her best friend was pleasantly surprised or mortified.

"Is this a prank or something..?" Hyunjin snapped out of it when Heejin said this.

"NO!"

"What... so you... you're being serious?"

 _Not the best response to a confession_ , Hyunjin's palms were sweating profusely.

"Yeah", Hyunjin whispered, then slightly louder, "yeah. I like you a lot, Heejin."

For a few seconds, there was a terrible lingering silence filled only by the delicate spring breeze and distant sounds of cars. Under any normal circumstance, it may have seemed peaceful.

"I don't know what to say", Heejin whispered. 

 _What Would Vivi Tell Me To Do?_ , Hyunjin pondered for a few seconds before finally forcing herself to look up and meet her best friend's eyes, "I can talk now".

"Are you sure?" Heejin was still whispering, "You couldn't seem to a few seconds ago"

"I know. I'm sorry. I panicked. But I can talk now" Hyunjin managed with more confidence, "I didn't mean to tell you like this. I wanted to wait, until we were the ones graduating or something and everything would be changing anyways so there wouldn't be much risk but I don't know. I guess everybody talking about the unnies leaving and the club not being complete anymore just freaked me out and the idea of change is overwhelming, and this time next year we'll be the ones getting ready to move onto a new chapter of our lives and I realized that if I don't tell you this sooner rather than later I never will, and we'll move on and become different people in different places and I'll always wonder what if I just went for it. So I'm going for it. I really, really, really really like you Jeon Heejin, and I've liked you from the first day we met when you told me you wanted to be my partner because I looked lonely and you didn't want anyone to know you were lonely too so we'd be better off being lonely together. I remember every word you said to me that first day of seventh grade, because I wrote it down in my diary below the title  _I met a girl today. I think I'm in love_ _._  That never left me. The Hyunjin I was on the first day of seventh grade who thought you were the most wonderful human being I'd ever seen is the same Hyunjin telling you right now that I love you and I never want to lose you, even if that means after I stop talking right now you say 'oh okay, that's nice!' and we go back to being best friends. I never thought I'd say all of this to you so I'm sorry I was so afraid and this was so abrupt and now I can't stop talking because I don't know if I'm ready to hear what you say ne-"

And then, the world stopped.

Heejin was kissing Hyunjin, and Hyunjin was so shocked she couldn't even move.

"I'M SORRY" Heejin suddenly pulled away, realizing Hyunjin was frozen, "I didn't mean to do that!"

 

Inside Jinsoul's living room, ten sets of eyes were gathered around the window all looking in the same place, at the front porch.

"I told you accidents happen" Jungeun whispered into Haseul's ear, to which the older girl responded with a (gentle and loving) elbow to Jungeun's ribs.

Yerim, who was squished up against the glass in front of Jungeun, apparently could hear this and was able to process what she meant, and turned around mid gasp.

Jungeun covered the younger girl's mouth with her arm and rotated her back towards the window while hissing in her ear, "Not. Now."

 

Outside, Hyunjin's body was still catching up to her brain, "Hey I didn't complain!"

"You also didn't move!" Heejin pouted and Hyunjin physically felt her heart clench, "What am I supposed to think!"

"I mean if we're going to talk mixed signals, you didn't even  _respond_ to my confession you just cut me off!" Hyunjin grinned mischievously.

Heejin slowly wrapped her arms around Hyunjin's neck, "I thought I made my answer pretty clear" she was whispering almost  _seductively_ now, and Hyunjin's knees felt a bit weak.

"Spell it out for me, please?" Hyunjin grinned playfully at the shorter girl.

As she leaned in, Heejin whispered softer still, "why don't I just show you again".

 

If the two girls could've heard anything aside from their own heartbeats, just before their lips met they might've heard Haseul shout "OKAY KIDS THAT'S ENOUGH WATCHING" inside the house and swing the blinds shut in one swift motion.

 

* * *

 

The graduation ceremony was  _long_.

The auditorium seats were hard, the air conditioning wasn't strong enough for such a large group of people, and the valedictorian's speech wasn't until the very end so the AV club members were growing impatient.

Jiwoo was frantically dabbing at her eyes with a tissue (she'd cried three times already - once when they walked into the hall, once when she saw Sooyoung standing with the other graduates, and once when her girlfriend's name was called and she walked across the stage to get her diploma).

Yeojin was also teary, but the four graduating AV club members had undeniably gotten the loudest cheers out of anyone thanks to her.

Finally, after multiple speeches by school board members no one could even name, Haseul was called back to the stage to give her speech.

She started out by introducing herself, talking about what an honour it was to be valedictorian and how thankful she was for this opportunity, she talked about the student council and what it'd been like being a class president all four years, she talked about some teachers and her parents and all of her classmates just in general, then she took a deep breath before continuing.

"But above everything, there are 11 people in this room right now who I need to thank specifically because without their support, I don't think I would be standing here making this speech today. When I was a sophomore, our lovely guidance counsellors were telling me that all I needed were some more extracurriculars to make my future college applications absolutely perfect, but none of the existing clubs really spoke to me. So, I gathered up a couple friends I made in a media studies class, and we filled out a proposal for an AV club to run a video announcements program every Monday. We started as 8, then slowly over the last 3 years we've added 4 new members and together the 12 of us have finally found what I think is a perfect lineup not only for a club, but for-" her voice broke for the first time during her speech here as she tried to hold back her tears, "but for a family. I've written at least 200 drafts of this speech but I can never find the right combination of words that could properly express how much the AV club meant, and will always mean to me. The bond we have goes so far beyond the classroom, and I'll never find better friends than the 11 of you. Wong Vivi, Ha Sooyoung, Jung Jinsoul, Kim Jungeun, Kim Jiwoo, Jeon Heejin, Kim Hyunjin, Park Chaewon, Choi Yerim, Son Hyejoo, Im Yeojin. Thank you more than anything. I love you so much."

The rest of Haseul's speech was a bit of a blur - literally, it was hard for the other girls to see through their  _tears_ \- but when she finished Jungeun was the first (and loudest!) person to cheer.

"THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, no longer caring that they'd agreed to keep their new relationship a secret for the sake of keeping things normal.

"YOUR WHAT?" More than half of the AV club shouted back.

Realizing what she'd said, Jungeun's face went black for a second. "Oh. Yeah. We were gonna tell you guys soon!"

It was loud and chaotic and there was no real chance to talk now that the official ceremony was over and the hall was crowded as parents and friends all tried to make their way over to the graduates, but Heejin managed to catch Jungeun's eye and mouth _I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU_.

 

* * *

 

Next September, Haseul is off to some incredibly prestigious university to study something incredibly sophisticated and responsible and her future is bright - but she stays close to home so her relationship with Jungeun is stronger than ever.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul are both taking gap years - Sooyoung so her and Jiwoo can go to the same school the following year when Jiwoo graduates, Jinsoul because she's not sure what she wants to do just yet.

Vivi's applied for some modelling jobs and one of her shoots absolutely blows up so she starts getting lovecalls from everyone and seems like she's got a lot of success ahead of her.

Jungeun, Jiwoo, Heejin, Hyunjin, and Chaewon are all beginning their senior year. They decide not to recruit any new members to the AV club - along with Yerim, Hyejoo, and Yeojin, they do their best to run the show smoothly but it's never quite as good as it was when there were 12 members instead of 8.

Heejin and Hyunjin are applying to universities together, as far away as possible so Heejin can get away from her abusive family and they've seamlessly transitioned from best friends to girlfriends - and couldn't possibly be happier.

 

**_Everything has a funny way of working itself out in the end._  **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so, so much for waiting it out over all these months and reading this story!! overall there are some parts that i wish i'd done differently but in the end i'm very proud of this fic and i'm so honoured it's received as much love as it has... i haven't been replying to comments yet as i get very very easily overwhelmed when people compliment me and get never get the words out but i Will try very hard to be a better more interactive writer from here on out hfhsdhs.. i hope i never came across as like having some kind of superiority complex for not replying to comments because i promise that's not the case i'm just bad at it ahhhhhh ;_; also as i mentioned in my note at the beginning i /do/ want to write some kind of sequel / spin-off / look to the future set in the same universe as this because i'm kind of obsessed with this au now but it'll probably be shorter for sure (2-3 parts) and not for... a little while... because i'm in a bit of a writing slump and when i do get motivated to write lately it's been about produce 48 because yes we Love temporary fixations! jokes aside tho if you were a pd48 fan stay tuned to my acct because that's probably what i'll primarily be writing about for the next lil while :3 WOW BOTH MY NOTES ON THIS CHAPTER WERE SO LONG IM SO SORRY I JUST HAD A LOT TO SAY!!!! THANK U AGAIN FOR READING CINEMATIC AND INSPIRING ME TO KEEP WRITING IT WHEN I GOT BUSY AND WANTED TO GIVE UP AND THOUGHT I'D NEVER FINISH AND ILU ALL


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